Mar 28, 2014

Catch 22

Tanner, 17, was born in Gainesville, Fla. and at one time had a valid
Social Security card but lost it. Now, his mother, Wendy Andrews, is
trying to get a replacement and discovered it is not as easy as it
seems.

"Either you need a school ID which he doesn't have one
because he is in private school, or a state ID or a passport," said
Andrews,"but in order to get one of those, he needs to have a Social
Security card." ...

Andrews said a replacement card is now critical because of her child's education; he's on a scholarship.
"He needs it for his scholarships" she said, "because he's on scholarship so he can attend a private school [because he's autistic]."

Under Social Security guidelines, you can use a birth certificate to prove your child's age or citizenship but you cannot use it as proof of identity. ...

Andrews said there used to be a Social Security office in Putnam County but that's closed so she has been trying to resolve her problem by phone and that has only added to her frustration.

"I never thought it was going to be this hard to get a replacement card," she said," I could see if he had never had a card or he was an illegal alien. I don't understand why they can't just issue him a replacement."

Why should a state ID or passport require a Social Security card? What should any institution offering scholarships be allowed to use an SS card as a requirement. A birth certificate, I can understand.

SSA and its customers are paying a steep price for the laziness and irresponsibility of other institutions.